Expendable puller



Feb. 27, 1951 F. Ml VARNEY EXPANDABLE FULLER 2 Sheets-Sheet l` Filed May 51, 1946 L |N1wIE.

Feb. 27, `1951 F M, VARNEY 2,543,078

EXPANDABLE FULLER www Patented F eb.. 27, 1951 EXPENDABLE FULLER Fred M. Varney, Washington, D. C.

Application. May 31, 1946, Serial No. 673,523

(Granted under the act of March 3 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to equipment to facilitate military maneuvers and more specifically to a pulling device for assisting in translational movement of personnel and material.

In landing operations, military personnel is subjected to undue peril and hazard from shore installations and machine gun emplacements due t the impossibility of facile evasive movement when partly submergedI and encumbered by heavy equipment. Such personnel is also subject to the hazards of an unseen bottom, cross currents, undertow and wind and under the load' of heavy equipment frequently is overcome by falling into holes and being submerged beyond its depth.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide means which will assist military personnel in movementv through the water by forcefully propelling it in the direction desiredfor a sufficient length of time to bring it into shallow water regardless of the initial depth lof the water at the time of d'ebarkation, the current, wind and other obstacles which impede its progress.

As illustrated herein, the aforesaid device comprises a drawbar, a propeller and means for motivating the propeller attached to the drawbar, means for counteracting the rotationall torque of the propeller to prevent rotation of the drawbar during translation thereof and means on the drawbar to which personnel may cling or equipment may be secured. The means for rotating the propeller is a motor or enginel enclosed in a housing between the drawbar and the propeller. Inone form of the invention batteries are mounted in the housing for driving the motor and a switch is interposed between the batteries and the motor which is operable from the free endy of the drawbar. Preferably the batteries are sea batteries operated by the presence of sea WaterV and for this reason apertures are formed in the housing so that when the deviceI is' submerged water mayI gain access to the sea batteries. To preserve the batteries from moisture prior touse, the .apertures are covered by patches of cloth or other waterproof material which mayl readily be stripped off to expose the apertures. In anotherA form of the invention a turbine is employed and a fuel is disposed in the housing which when ignited will drive the turbine. The fuel employed herein is a solid which may be ignitedV byA detonation to burn and generate sufcient gases to drive the turbine. To this end a trigger mechanism is included operable from the drawbar end' of the device to set 01T an i'gniting cartridge. In both forms of the invention. a shroud houses the propellerv toprevent damage thereto and reaction blades are formed' thereon to assist the means on the housing in counteracting the rotational torque of the propeller. Y

The invention ywill now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FigureA l is a side View of the invention partly i-n section;

Figure 2 is an end View as seen from the right end4 of FigureA 1?;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a fragmentary portion of the device showing the coupling between the housing and draw-bar in detail and showing the tear strips covering the apertures;

Figure i is a side View of a modified form of the device in which a turbine is employed in lieu of an electric motor;

Figure 5 is a vertical section of a fragmentary portion of the device showing the details of the ignitingmeans and Figure 6 is a cross-section of the device on a line- 6 6 ofV Figure 5.

Figure '7 shows a diagram of the wiring circuit oi the motor, switch and batteries.

Referring; to Figure 1, the device is indicated generally by the reference character I ii `and comprises a cylindrical open-ended housing I2, ns I3, a drawbar I4 and a propeller I6. The drawbar I4 is provided' at its free end with a handle I8' and intermediate its ends Iwith a handle or grip 2l] so that the device may be held by one or both hands when in use. The ns I3 assist in maintaining the device in a given plane during forward' movement. The drawbar Ill is rotatably secured to the end of the housing as follows. The inner or attached end of the drawbar is reduced at. 22 (Figure 3i)v to pass through the inner race 2li of a ball bea-ring assembly 25. The terminal end of the drawbar I4 is further reduced at 284 and is thread-ed to receive a nut 3U, the latter being adapted to bear against the rear side of the innerV race to holdthe drawbar in place. The ball bearing assembly 26 is seatedin a recess 32T formed in a sleeve 36j, the latter being welded or otherwise. secured at 36 to an end plate 38 fastened to. one end of the housing by screws ll. The ball bearing assembly 26 is retained in the sleeve 34 by a cap plate l2 secured thereto by screws 4d. The cap plate i2 has an aperture dii therein through which the drawbar passes and a substantially water-tight relation is maintained where the drawbar enters the cap plate by forming a recess SI1 in the cap plate and disposing therein a channel-'shaped ring into which there 3 is set a rubber or other gasket 52 adapted to engage the drawbar.

The propeller I6 in one form of the invention is driven by an electric motor 54, the latter being welded into the opposite end of the housing I2 or otherwise secured as illustrated in Figure 1. The propeller I6 is fastened to the free end of a shaft 56 extending from the motor. Brackets 58 are fastened to the motor housing and extend outwardly and forwardly of the motor to support a shroud 6U which surrounds and protects the propeller I6. A plurality of radially projecting blades 62 are secured to the outer surface of the shroud to provide means for coun# teracting the rotational torqueA of the propeller. Additional counteracting means is also provided by a plurality of blades 64 secured to the outer surface of the housing I2 and extending longitudinally thereof.

The motor 54 is driven by batteries 66, a pair of which are shown in Figure 1 as mounted in tandem on a bolt 68 which is threaded at one end to the motor housing. A nut 'lll threaded on to the opposite end of the bolt retains the batteries in place and rubber spacer rings or gaskets 'II may be employed to insulate the same from the bolt and each other. Preferably the batteries BB are sea batteries and are operated upon submergence of the device by the presence of sea water. To this end openings I2 are formed in the housing to permit access of sea Water. While the device is not in use, however, to prevent deterioration of the batteries, the housing is maintained substantially air and water tight by sealing means 'I4 which may be in the nature of a tear strip such as adhesive tape secured over the openings I2 as illustrated in Figure 3 which may be stripped off prior to use.

Between the batteries and motor there is interposed a switch mechanism 16, the details of which are diagrammatically represented in Fig. '7. Switch operating means is provided for operating the switch from a convenient point, pref erably one of the handles. This means comprises a lever 'I8 pivotally attached to the switch 16. A rod 8B is attached at one end to the lever 78 and passes through a pair of spaced brackets 82 secured to the inside of the housing and at its opposite end to a lever 34. The lever 84 is pivotally mounted at 86 on the inner end of a post S8 extending inwardly from the end wall 38. As seen by reference to Figure 3, the lever 84 is provided with an aperture 90 so that it may embrace a rod 92 having a head 94 which prevents withdrawal of the rod 92 from the aperture 5U. Normally the rod 92, and hence the switch 16, is held in an inoperable position by a spring 9| interposed between the end of the lever 84 and the inside of the end plate 38. The rod 92 passes through the end plate 38 and through a longitudinal passage 96 formed in the drawbar and rearwardly to the handle I8. At this point the rod Q2 is bent laterally at 98 so that it follows the contours of the handle and then is doubled back upon itself at to form a trigger which occupies a slot |92 formed in the handle. The trigger portion IDI] is so disposed that it may conveniently be grasped by one holding the handle and actuated by squeezing to operate the switch 16.

In another form of the invention, a tiu'bine |64 is employed rather than an electric motor 54. In this form of the invention the housing I comprises the turbine housing H34 and a fuel cylinder IE6, these elements being threadably secured at their adjacent ends to the opposite ends of a block |08, which is provided with corresponding threaded portions. The drawbar I4 is fastened to the fuel cylinder by a rotatable joint in the same manner as it is fastened to the housing I2 in Figure l and hence will not be described again. The propeller I6, shroud and reaction blades 52 are likewise secured to the housing of the turbine in the same manner that they were attached to the motor 54 in Figure l and, therefore, will not be described again.

The block |08, to the opposite ends of which the turbine |04 and the fuel cylinder |56 are attached, has radial slots ID'I formed between its ends which extend into a central passage |09 lengthwise of the block so that there are radial walls III. At the fuel cylinder end of the block a central threaded passage II is formed which extends through the en d wall into the passage I U9. The passage IIll is adapted to receive a threaded plug |I2 which constitutes a delay igniter cartridge, the inner end of which projects into a fuel of any desired type packed into the interior of the fuel cylinder. The cartridge II2 includes a cap ||4 which is adjacent to that end of the passage IIS which opens into the passage |09. A firing pin |I5 is provided for striking the aforesaid cap. The firing pin ||5 is carried by a lever |20 pivotally mounted in a slot IIB formed in one of the walls III. This lever |29 is urged by a spring |2| mounted in the opposite ends of a pin IIE extending through the wall to drive the firing pin ||5 into the cap I I4. The lever |20 is restrained from such movement by a lever |22 likewise pivoted in the slot IIS. The lever |22 has a recess |23 adapted to receive the terminal end |24 of the lever |20. The free ends of the levers |20 and I2?. extend into a slot IIS formed in the wall and the lever |22 has a depending extension |25 which projects through the slot I|9 and is engaged by a bar |26 which is slidably mounted in brackets |28 fixed to the fuel cylinder. The bar |25 extends rearwardly to a point adjacent to the grip 2U and has a nob |35 thereon which may be conveniently grasped. The gases generated by ignition of the fuel in the fuel chamber pass through the pair of passages |32 extended through a block |08 from the fuel cylinder to the turbine cylinder.

To prevent accidental operation of the firing mechanism, a safety pin |34 is mounted in a plug I3| threaded into the wall I|| so that the pin extends through an aperture |42 in the lever |22 and a passage |4D formed in the wall. rIhis pin is yieldably held against a spring |33 by a cotter |36 which engages its head, the cotter being passed through the walls of the plug |3| and being removable by a ring |38 attached thereto.

In using either of the aforesaid devices it is only necessary upon debarkation to place the device in the water and to grasp the handles IB and 20. In a matter of a few seconds after the tear strips 'I4 have been removed from that form of.

the device described in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the batteries will generate suicient energy to opel ate the motor 54. By pulling on the trigger IGS which can be done simply by squeezing the handle, the switch I6 will be actuated to connect the batteries to the motor 54 and the propeller will immediately begin to rotate and assist in pulling the person or material secured to the handle I8 in whatever direction is desired. In the case of the device shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the starting of. the device is initiated by pushing on .the

knob |30 which actuates the iiring mechanism to start the fuel in the cylinder |06 burning. As soon as the gas in the cylinder |08 begins to generate, it will pass through the tubes |32 and drive the turbine |04 which in turn will rotate the propeller I6. As contemplated, it is preferred that these devices be made up of an inexpensive material which is expendable so that the devices may be discarded when the operator or the material reaches the shore. It is, however, within the scope of the invention to construct either or both of the devices so that they may be reused. For example, in the form shown in Figure 1, the batteries may be replaced, and in the form shown in Figure 4, the cylinder |06 may be renewed and repacked with fuel.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. A pulling device comprising a housing, a drawbar secured to one end thereof, a propeller mounted at the opposite end, means in the housing for rotating the propeller to move the housing and hence the drawbar in translation, means on said housing for counteracting the rotational torque of the propeller to prevent rotation of the drawbar during translation thereof, and a pair of handles attached to said drawbar for supporting said device in a substantially horizontal position away from the body of an operator and in a desired direction.

2. A pulling device comprising a housing having perorations therein, a drawbar secured to one end thereof, a propeller mounted at the opposite end, an electric motor and sea batteries in the housing, tear strips secured over said perforations to maintain the housing air and moisture tight while not submerged, means on said housing for counteracting the rotational torque of the propeller to prevent rotation of the drawbar during translation thereof, a handle attached at the end of the drawbar, and a second handle attached to the drawbar near said housing whereby said device may be supported substantially horizontally and away from the body of an operator in a desired direction.

3. A pulling device comprising a housing, a drawbar secured to one end thereof, a propeller mounted at the opposite end, a motor and batteries in the housing for rotating the propeller to move the drawbar in translation, ns on the housing to counteract the rotational torque produced by the propeller, a handle attached at the end of the drawbar, a switch for starting and stopping said motor secured to said handle, and a second handle attached to the drawbar near said housing whereby said device may be supported substantially horizontally and away from the body of an operator in a desired direction.

4. A pulling device comprising a housing, a

drawbar secured to one end thereof having a passage extending longitudinally therethrough, a propeller mounted at the opposite end, a motor and batteries in the housing for rotating the propeller to move the drawbar in translation, fins on the housing to counteract the rotational torque, a switch between the batteries and the motor, switch operating linkage extending from the switch through said passage to the free end of the drawbar, a pair of handles secured to said drawbar and one of said handles having a trigger attached to said switch linkage whereby said device may be held in two hands in a substantially horizontal position away from the body of an operator and starting and stopping of said motor may be controlled.

5. A pulling device comprising a housing, a drawbar secured to an end thereof, a propeller mounted at the opposite end, a turbine in the housing to which the propeller is attached, a propellant in the housing for motivating the turbine, means operable from the free end of the drawbar to cause the propellant to drive the turbine and hence the propeller, means associated with the device for counteracting the rotational torque of the propeller, and a pair of handles attached to said drawbar for supporting said device in a substantially horizontal position away from the body of an operator and in a desired direction.

6. A pulling device comprising a drawbar, a motor attached to the drawbar, a propeller connected to and driven by said motor, -ieans attached to said motor to prevent rotation of the drawbar during the translation thereof and a pair of handles attached to said drawbar for supporting said device in a substantially horizontal position away from the body of an operator and in a desired direction.

FRED M. VARNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 827,202 Bachman July 31, 1906 965,912 Krohn Aug. 2, 1910 1,226,768 Haran May 22, 1917 1,433,563 Osterhout Oct. 31, 1922 1,474,952 Allen et al Nov. 20, 1923 1,512,391 Abraham Oct. 21, 1924 1,579,529 Haschke Apr. 6, 1926 1,586,595 Barringer June 1, 1926 1,691,188 Hall Nov. 13, 1928 2,045,645 Hansen June 30, 1936 2,109,813 Winckler Mar. 1, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,459 Great Britain of 1901 

